We Are Grounders
by liz-loz
Summary: Twenty years ago a new age of mankind was born when the Ark landed on the ground again after a lifetime in space. Now when they are 18 each citizen is given the right to choose their path in helping the nation. Bellamy Blake chooses 'The Wall' and the role of protector, but things on the ground are not always what they seem... Bellamy/Clarke, Finn/Raven


_Hi guys. So now I am deviating into The 100 fanfiction. There's not really much canon here apart from the characters and some of their relationships. I have also played around with the original narrative so that all the teenagers were born after the Ark's return to earth. You'll see when you read it :)_

_Enjoy and please review!_

_Liz xxx_

* * *

**Chapter 1 - Off To The Wall**

The sun peered over the horizon. I pushed the branches out of the way to get a better look and felt smile spread across my face. Today was the day.

As I scurried down the tall trunk of the tree and landed with a thump on the soft earthy floor the town was already beginning to come to life. Twenty years ago it had only been a camp - our descendants from the sky crashing down to Earth and starting a new age of our generation on the ground. After that it had grown and grown until now stood our community - Jaha. I began to run through the streets, dodging past workers already off to start their day and sliding though small gaps between houses. Some of the buildings were still remnants of the drop ships that had fallen, whilst others had been built over the years using a mixture of the land and our technology. As I skipped over a large puddle one of the woman washing apples in a bowl lifted her hand to wave at me.  
"In a rush Bellamy?" She asked. I smiled, darting over to grab the fruit she offered before continuing on my journey.

* * *

It was across the other side of the town, near to the large electric fences that guarded this section of our community, that I found our house. As I ducked inside the small hut Octavia and Mother were waiting for me.  
"Bellamy!" Octavia called out. She seemed happy to see me, but also a little relieved. Opening my arms up to receive her hug I looked across at Mother and saw her expression a little less approving.  
"Where were you?" She asked.  
"In the forest." I replied meekly, already flinching in anticipation of the steely glare. "I couldn't sleep."  
"You went to the forest?" Octavia asked, breaking away to fix me with a questioning stare. "You said you would take me next time!"  
"I don't think that would have been a good idea." I replied, glancing back at Mother apprehensively and ruffling my sister's hair. Mother stepped forward, still seeming angry but also a little sad.  
"You have leaves in your hair." She said, reaching out to pluck one from my head and letting it fall to the floor slowly. When I smiled apologetically she managed one back.

"Anyway." Octavia continued, already forgetting about my minor betrayal in favour of the parcel she rushed over to retrieve. "Here." She said, handing it over with a flourish and a beaming smile. "Happy birthday!" I looked up at Mother in surprise. Normally we refrained from getting birthday gifts, especially when rations were sparse.  
"It's ok." She replied, gesturing to the parcel and smiling again. "Open it." As the parcel was placed into my hands I stared down at it, wondering what was inside.  
"Come on!" Octavia jumped up and down beside me, her childlike impatience incredibly amusing despite the fact she was only a few years younger, and I smiled, hooking back the paper with my finger and tearing it open. Inside were a pair of worn but sturdy looking boots.  
"They were your father's" Mother said when I looked up, surprise and excitement on my face. "He wore then when we first landed on the ground." Picking up one of the shoes I examined it carefully. The craftsmanship was definitely Ark created, but there were pieces of dirt and soil encrusted into the soles and clinging on the laces. "He would have wanted you to have them." Unable to say anything I placed the boots carefully down on a nearby chair, then threw my arms around Mother, digging my face into her shoulder so Octavia couldn't see my tears.  
"Thank you." I whispered, squeezing her tightly and feeling her squeeze back. "I love them."  
"And look!" Octavia piped up again, bringing one of the shoes back to me and pointing to the inside. "It even has your name in them!" Focusing my bleary eyes I looked down at the fabric and saw the stitched name 'Blake' inside. Mother had even added a B in front of it in new thread for me.  
"That's great." I replied, smiling at my sister and then thanking Mother again silently.  
"Your last birthday with us." She said, a light sigh escaping from her lips as she did so.

* * *

After we had shared breakfast I changed into my slightly smarter clothes, pulling on my new shoes with immense satisfaction and marvelling at how natural they felt on my feet. As I entered the main room again Mother stopped and looked wistfully at me.  
"You are so much like him." She said sadly. I walked over slowly and she patted down my hair, removing another stubborn leaf. "So fearless, so brave…"  
"Mother, it's the wall." I replied, understanding her sentiment but feeling it was a little over-egged. "Loads of kids go there."  
"But not all of them." Mother replied. She was right. Once you turned eighteen a Jaha child was able to choose their profession. Some chose to stay with their families and help out with home duties, some chose one of the farms or other work places, some even went into politics and shadowed some of the town leaders. And some went to the wall. We had heard many stories about the place, but most people knew it as the centre of our army, the protectors of our community from the things outside our walls - the unknown. Ever since I had started school it had been my dream to go there - I'd lived my whole life leading up to it. And now I was finally able to leave.  
"I'll still come and visit." I said, trying to sound comforting but knowing that the words were a lie. Nobody I knew that had gone to the wall had ever come back. But protection was a 24 hour job.  
"You will." Mother replied, lying right back to me. She rubbed her finger gently down my cheek before sighing once more and motioning to my pack. "Everything you need is right here." Walking over to the bag I lifted it and grimaced slightly at the weight.  
"Everything?" Throwing it onto my shoulders I tried to imagine walking through the forests, eyes scouting out for danger, hands bristling by the weapon in my pocket. Mother laughed, walking over and unhooking a strap from the table.  
"Well, maybe not that." I felt a blush sweep through my cheeks as the weight lifted considerably. Mother smiled but her eyes were sad once more again.  
"That was like your father too."

* * *

When I emerged from our house the sun had almost peaked at it's point in the sky. The truck for the wall left around midday, so I knew I had to leave now.  
"Octavia?" I called out, knowing that I had to see her before I left. As I looked around she was nowhere to be found. "Octavia?" Suddenly a huge force hit me from the side. Struggling to keep myself upright I glanced across and saw my sister glued to my waist, her eyes scrunched tightly shut.  
"Don't go…" She said, holding me so strongly that I actually couldn't move. As I managed to prise her fingers away from my shirt I turned my body round and crouched down to her level.  
"Octavia." I said, my voice softening as I brushed her hair out of her face. "I don't want to leave you, or Mother. But this is what I've wanted for years. I have to go."  
"Then take me with you!" I chuckled, pulling her in close and ruffling her hair once more.

"You know they'd never allow that. But in two years time you can join me." As I pushed my sister's chin up with my finger she tried to maintain her stubborn look, but it softened when I smiled at her.  
"You have to take care of Mother now. And everyone else." As Mother suddenly appeared from the house she glanced up at the sun just as I had.  
"You'd better make a move." She said, walking over to stand beside me. "The truck leaves at noon." Realising this was the moment, I took a deep breath, glancing back at Octavia again who was trying to fight back tears from her eyes.  
"May we meet again." I said, quoting and old phrase used by the Sky people. I squeezed my family tight to my chest one final time, then let them go, waving goodbye as I walked off and left them and my old life far behind.

* * *

Then sun was rising quickly so I had to run to the rendezvous point. I had taken the route many times, mentally preparing myself for what was to come for the past few years, but in the heat of the moment it seemed longer. When I arrived sweat dripped from my brow.  
"Recruits!" A large man standing by the gate shouted. He was dressed like a soldier and had a gun hanging from his shoulder. "Recruits for the wall!"  
"Here!" I shouted in reply. As I ran over he looked me up and down with amusement.  
"_You're_ coming to the wall?" He asked.  
"Yes." A smirk spread across his face, but he still held out a large gloved hand.  
"Papers." Swinging my pack off my back and rummaging around in it I pulled out the two bits of paper that proved my existence - my birth certificate and my proof of status as a grounder. Handing them over to the guard I watched him examine them closely, no doubt looking for any forgeries. When he found none, he handed them back to me, an intrigued look on his face.  
"You're Lionel Blake's son?" He asked. The question surprised me, mostly because I hand't heard my father's name in years.  
"Yes." I replied. The man nodded his head quickly.  
"That man was a good friend to this nation." He said. "One of the first men on the ground." Glancing down at my shoes I scuffed them against the floor nervously, hoping I was still going to be allowed on.  
"Are you sure the wall's the right place for you?" The man questioned me again, this time with a different air to his tone. I paused for a second, before uttering the words I had said in my head over and over.  
"The wall is all I've ever wanted for the past eighteen years. It's where I'm meant to be." As the soldier smiled a crooked smile he stepped backwards, opening the way to the gate and the truck in front of it.  
"Well what are you waiting for?" He said. "Get inside."

* * *

The truck was bigger close up. As I knocked cautiously on the back door there was a loud noise inside, then the sound of footsteps. The doors were thrown open and I was almost smacked right in the face.  
"Hey!" A voice called out, sounding enthusiastic. "We got fresh meat!" Steadying myself and looking up I saw the face of another soldier, this one only a little older than me. He smiled, showing off a shiny gold tooth.  
"You ready for the wall?" He asked. I nodded my head firmly and he laughed, beckoning me inside.  
"Come on in!"

* * *

The inside of the truck was dark, but I could still make out the figures of around seven other people. Most of them were other soldiers, but three of them were kids like me. Two were sat together, admiring a knife one of the soldiers had handed over, but one sat on his own. I decided to head his way.  
"Hey." I said, raising my hand in a greeting, but getting no response back. The boy was slouched against the wall of the truck, picking at his fingernails with a knife that seemed like his own.  
"Hey." I said a little louder, sitting down beside him and placing my pack on the floor. When the boy finally looked over my eyes widened a little. His face was covered in scars, some faded and some deep and fresh. One ran down from his ear and was still seeping a little trail of blood.  
"Hey." I said one final time, unable to really say anything else.  
"I heard you the first time." The boy replied. His voice was cold and emotionless.  
"I'm Bellamy." I managed to continue, wiping my hand against my leg and then holding it out to him. The boy stared back at me like I was stupid.  
"Murphy." He said, not bothering to look up again. As he resumed the picked of his fingernails with the knife I realised some of the soldiers were sniggering at me.  
"So you're going to the wall too hey?" I asked in a deeper voice, trying to pick up the conversation again even though it was a little fruitless. "I can't wait. How'd you get those scars?"  
"From fighting boys like you." Murphy replied. I was about to comment when suddenly the sound of a door closing shook the whole truck.  
"Open the gate!" A voice from outside shouted. Scrambling over to a small hole in the truck tarpaulin I peered through it and saw the gigantic metal gates of our section opening. The truck drove through it slowly, soldiers shouting commands to each other in codes I couldn't understand and then we were out. Leaning back against the wall I glanced over at Murphy, the two other people and the soldiers. One of them smiled at me, that same smile that the first soldier had given me.  
"Off to the wall." He said.


End file.
